Elmhurst/Yorkfield Food Pantry

The purpose of the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry is for the charitable distribution of food for the relief of hunger to our neighbors in need residing in the communities surrounding us, including Elmhurst, Addison, Bensenville, Berkeley, Hillside, Lombard, Oak Brook and Villa Park.

The Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP) was started in 1983 by concerned people at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church who saw a need to help hungry people in their own backyard. It started in a walk-in closet at Yorkfield Presbyterian Church as an infrequently used resource serving approximately 25 people each week at that time. It has grown continuously, moving to the basement of the “cottage” facility at 1083 S. York Road in 1998. In 2012, the organization moved to re-incorporate as an independent not-for-profit in the State of Illinois.

The Pantry now distributes food to clients three days a week during four shifts, 52 weeks a year. Families can shop for food from the Pantry as often as monthly in a “client choice” model. Our clients range from those who have recently lost their jobs, those who are chronically unemployed, those who are underemployed and elderly retirees living exclusively on modest Social Security checks or other fixed income. During the fiscal year 2014, the EYFP served client families 5,855 times, averaging over 346 families per month. Of these, 220 families were new users of the food pantry, indicating the continuing and increasing need for our services.

In its effort to provide hunger relief, the Elmhurst-Yorkfield Food Pantry provides nutritious groceries, produce, meat, dairy and non-perishable products to local families. The Pantry currently distributes over 250,000 pounds of food each year to clients.